GROWING HEALTHY FARMERS, FIELDS AND FOODS - Organic Alberta 2019 Conference - JANUARY 25 & 26 | FORT SASKATCHEWAN, AB - Pivot and Grow
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GROWING HEALTHY
FARMERS, FIELDS
AND FOODS
Organic Alberta
2019 Conference
JANUARY 25 & 26 | FORT SASKATCHEWAN, AB
FRIDAY, JANUARY
Shell Theatre Lions Mane Lions Pride Business Room
7:30 am - 8:30 am Registration and Trade Show
8:30 am - 8:40 am Opening Remarks
Scaling Stewardship: Synergies of Soil, Science and Spirit
8:40 am - 9:20 am
Doug Crabtree & Anna Jones-Crabtree (Shell Theatre)
Using Pollinator Strips in Teaching Livestock to
9:30 am - 10:20 am Cropping When to Hire an Extra Hand
Eat Weeds
Scott Dundas
Doug Crabtree & Grant Lastiwka
Anna Jones-Crabtree
10:30 am - 11:00 am Break / Trade Show
Introducing the
A Systems Approach to Crop and Livestock Synergies: Direct-Marketing: Species at Risk
Improving Soil and Different Types of Producers How to Get New Customers (SAR) Tool
11:00 am - 12:00 pm
Plant Health Teaming up for Diversity John Mills, James Vriend Agricultural Research
Daryl Chubb Ward Middleton & Steven Snider & Jenny Berkenbosch & Extension Council
of Alberta
12:00 pm - 12:30 pm Lunch
12:30 pm - 1:00 pm
Organic Alberta Annual General Meeting
(Lions Mane) Organic Alberta
1:00 pm - 1:50 pm Farm Club
Gathering
2:00 pm - 2:30 pm Break / Trade Show
Permaculture from an Direct-Marketing:
Intercropping:
Indigenous Perspective Retaining Customers
2:30 pm - 3:20 pm Benefits and Risks
Derek Bruno & Elder Leo Bruno, Andrew Mans, Cam Beard
Joe Wecker
Samson Cree First Nation & Rosemary Wotske
Intercropping:
An Interactive Workshop to
Conscious Communication Women in Farming:
Make it Work on Your Farm
3:30 pm - 4:20 pm on the Farm Stories from the Field
Ward Middleton, Steven Snider, Joe
Mike Kozlowski Trina Moyles
Wecker, Bernie Ehnes, Doug
Crabtree & Anna Jones-Crabtree
4:30 pm - 6:00 pm Hot Topic Discussions
Organic Food and Wine Gala and Banquet Featuring Sally Fallon
6:30 pm - 9:30 pm Nourishing Diets: How Paleo, Ancestral and Traditional Peoples Really Ate
(Tickets Purchased Separately)
SATURDAY, JANUARY
Shell Theatre Lions Mane Lions Pride Business Room
8:00 am - 8:30 am Registration and Trade Show
Tough Enough to Talk About it: Lessons in Dealing with Stress on the Farm
8:40 am - 9:20 am
Neil Harris (Shell Theatre)
Improving Soils Through Cover
Improving Soils
Grain Buyer Crops and Intercropping for
9:30 am - 10:20 am Through Grazing
Networking Session Fruit and Vegetable Farmers
Ben Stuart
Andrew Mans & Mike Kozlowski
10:30 am - 11:00 am Break / Trade Show
Soil and Regenerative Agriculture
11:00 am - 12:00 pm
Stuart McMillan (Shell Theatre)
12:00 pm - 1:00 pm Lunch
Can Organics Diversify
Your Farm?: What is
1:00 pm - 1:45 pm
Organic Farming? Organic Hemp
Bernie Ehnes Research Findings:
Soil Health: A Mycorrhizal Strategies to
Perspective Improve Your Yield
Monika Gorzelak Hemp Production
1:45 pm - 2:00 pm Can Organics Diversify Services
Your Farm?: What’s Involved
in Certification?
Various Certifying Bodies
Sally Fallon Nourishing
2:00 pm - 2:15 pm (Free to the Public)
Traditions Seminar
(Tickets Purchased Separately)
2:15 pm - 2:30 pm Break / Trade Show
Break / Trade Show
2:30 pm - 3:00 pm Introducing Soil
(Free to the Public)
Booster
Agricultural Blend
Analyzing Soil: How to Grassroots
Can Organics Diversify Organic Dirt
3:00 pm - 3:30 pm Understand the Productive
Your Farm?: Marketing Supplements
Capacity of Your Land
Your Commodities
Justin Duban
Charles Newell (Free to the Public)
3:30 pm - 3:45 pm
Can Organics Diversify
3:45 pm - 4:00 pm
Your Farm?: Agronomic
Decisions You Need to Make
4:00 pm - 4:30 pm Stuart McMillan & Steven Snider Break / Trade Show
(Free to the Public)
Can Organics Diversify
Your Farm?: Our Farm Story
4:30 pm - 5:00 pm Farm to Fork Connections
Clay & Ashley Armstrong
with Eat Alberta Trade Show
(Free to the Public)
(Public Tickets $10)
5:00 pm - 6:00 pm Trade Show
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Fr uary
Ja
n SESSION DESCRIPTIONS
th
25
8:40 am Scaling Stewardship: Synergies of Soil, Science and Spirit
-
Doug Crabtree and Anna Jones-Crabtree, Vilicus Farm
9:20 am
Learn about using stewardship as the lens to build an integrated, holistic farm system. Doug and Anna will
share how good stewardship has helped them care for their soil and farm at a scale that can make a
difference.
9:30 am Using Pollinator Strips in Cropping
-
Doug Crabtree and Anna Jones-Crabtree, Vilicus Farm
10:20 am
Learn how to incorporate pollinator and buffer strips to increase beneficial insects on your farm and get
practical information like crop types and seeding rates.
9:30 am When to Hire an Extra Hand
-
Scott Dundas, Alberta Agriculture and Forestry
10:20 am
This session will discuss various labour and financial factors impacting hiring decisions, such as how to
perform cost-benefit analyses, and when to hire new employees
9:30 am Teaching Livestock to Eat Weeds
-
Grant Lastiwka, Alberta Agriculture and Forestry
10:20 am
Learn how livestock can be trained to eat weeds and gain one more tool in the toolbox for managing weeds
on your farm.
11:00 am A Systems Approach to Improving Soil and Plant Health
-
Daryl Chubb, Independent Regenerative Farming Consultant
12:00 pm
Gain a holistic perspective on supporting healthy soil and plants through options which include perennial
and annual crops, biodiversity, weed management, and livestock implementation.
11:00 am Crop and Livestock Synergies: Different Types of Producers Teaming up for Diversity
-
Ward Middleton, Midmore Farms
12:00 pm
So you want to add animal manure to your cropping operation? Hear directly from organic producers and
discover the important elements to consider when making that decision.
11:00 am Direct-Marketing: How to Get New Customers
-
John Mills, Eagle Creek Farms and James Vriend & Jenny Berkenbosch, Sundog Organic Farm
12:00 pm
Local producers will share their approaches and methods for attracting new customers, reaching new
markets, changing demographics, farmers markets, on-farm sales, and CSAs.
2:30 pm Intercropping: Benefits and Risks
-
Joe Wecker, Wecker Farms
3:20 pm
Based on years of experience with grain intercropping, learn the benefits and risks of integrating
intercropping into your farming system.
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Ja ida
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SESSION DESCRIPTIONS 25 ary
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2:30 pm Permaculture from an Indigenous Perspective
-
Derek Bruno and Elder Leo Bruno, Samson Cree First Nation
3:20 pm
Explore how permaculture serves as a bridge that reconnects people to their land by sharing lessons and
best practices from the Ermineskin Permaculture Project, an edible food forest planted this past summer.
Speakers will discuss ideas that individuals and communities can use to foster their own journey through
reconciliation.
2:30 pm Direct-Marketing: Retaining Customers
-
Andrew Mans, Mans Organics and Rosemary Wotske & Cam Beard, Poplar Bluff Organics
3:20 pm
Hear perspectives from two established farmers on how to get customers coming back year after year and
keep pace with changing demographics and consumer trends.
3:30 pm Intercropping: An Interactive Workshop to Make it Work on Your Farm
-
Ward Middleton, Midmore Farms, Steven Snider, Little Red Hen Mill, Joe Wecker, Wecker Farms and Doug & Anna
4:20 pm
Jones-Crabtree, Vilicus Farm
Learn practical and technical information you need to make it work on your farm. Participants will break-
out into interactive groups facilitated by intercropping experts to discuss their plans, overcome challenges,
and tackle various issues.
3:30 pm Conscious Communication on the Farm
-
Mike Kozlowski, Steel Pony Farm
4:20 pm
Effective communication can lead to increased job satisfaction, quality of life both on and off the farm, and
an overall stronger team feeling. Learn from an experienced producer about the communication methods
he employs to foster trust, respect, and openness with his farm team.
3:30 pm Women in Farming: Stories from the Field
-
Trina Moyles, Author of "Women Who Dig"
4:20 pm
More and more women are entering farming or identifying as farmers, helping to shape the farming
community and industry in Canada. Listen in on some of the many stories and perspectives Trina Moyles
has collected on the experiences of women farmers.
4:30 pm Hot Topic Discussions
-
6:00 pm Have you ever attended a conference where there just wasn’t enough time? Where you didn’t get to touch
on the most pressing things on your mind or on your farm? This part of the conference is designed for just
that reason. Get you connected with fellow farmers, industry, community and experts to discuss what
matters most to you. Participants will design the afternoon schedule by bringing topics of conversation
forward.
6:00 pm Nourishing Diets: How Paleo, Ancestral and Traditional Peoples Really Ate
-
Sally Fallon, Author and Keynote Speaker at Organic Food and Wine Gala (Tickets Purchased Separately)
9:30 pm
Sally Fallon has studied ancestral diets around the world from Australian Aborigines, Asians, Europeans,
Africans and Native Americans. The diets of healthy traditional people throughout the world, from the
Arctic to the Tropics, were all different, but also have common key points. This talk will address the
differences and commonalities in healthy traditional diets.
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Sat uary SESSION DESCRIPTIONS
Jan 6th
2
8:40 am Tough Enough to Talk About it: Lessons in Dealing with Stress on the Farm
-
Neil Harris, Alberta Health Services
9:20 am
Being “Tough Enough to Talk About it” means learning to recognize the signs of stress, burnout, and
depression in yourself or someone else. This presentation also discusses suicide awareness and
prevention. Knowing what to say and where to get help when needed is one of the key messages of this
morning’s keynote presentation.
9:30 am Improving Soils Through Grazing
-
Ben Stuart, Union Forage
10:20 am
Learn how grazing cattle can provide a significant boost to soil fertility on your grain land. Learn practical
ideas and techniques to take home to your farm.
9:30 am Grain Buyer Networking Session
-
Meet with representatives from Grain Millers, NutraSun Foods, Pipeline Foods, Richardson Milling,
10:20 am
Sustainable Grain, Hemp Production Services, Fresh Hemp Foods, W.A. Grain, Arjazon, and Westaqua.
9:30 am Improving Soils Through Cover Crops and Intercropping for Fruit and Vegetable
-
Producers
10:20 am
Andrew Mans, Mans Organics and Mike Kozlowski, Steel Pony Farm
Speakers will share their experience with different cover crop options for soil improvement, highlighting
effective options, crop compatibility, and necessary equipment.
11:00 am Soil and Regenerative Agriculture
-
Stuart McMillan, Legend Organic Farms
12:00 pm
What does the trend towards regenerative agriculture means for farmers? This speaker will explain why we
should embrace regenerative agriculture. He will also address concerns like how to implement
regenerative agriculture on a large grain farm and practicing without livestock.
1:00 pm Can Organics Diversify Your Farm?: What is Organic Farming?
-
Bernie Ehnes, Back 40 Organics
1:45 pm
What is organic farming all about and what makes it different? Learn the basics of an organic approach to
farming.
1:00 pm Soil Health: A Mycorrhizal Perspective
-
Monika Gorzelak, Agriculture Canada
2:00 pm
Mycorrhizal fungi are a foundation for healthy soils. Learn about the functional benefits of this fungus,
building healthy soils through managing for mycorrhizal diversity, and a discussion on the future of
mycorrhizal research.
Sa
t
Ja urd
nu ay
SESSION DESCRIPTIONS 26 a ry ,
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1:00 pm Sally Fallon Nourishing Traditions Seminar
-
Sally Fallon, Author (Tickets Purchased Separately)
4:30 pm
Good news! There is no renunciation on a Wise Traditions diet--butter and other animal fats, rich sauces,
healthy soft drinks, even naturally sweetened desserts can all be part of a satisfying nutritious diet. Learn
the basic characteristics of healthy traditional diets and how to implement them in a modern lifestyle.
1:45 pm Can Organics Diversify Your Farm?: What’s Involved in Certification?
-
Various Certification Bodies (Free to the Public)
2:30 pm
Hear from various certification bodies for an overview of the certification process, your various
certification options and information on their agencies.
2:30 pm Analyzing Soil: How to Understand the Productive Capacity of Your Land
-
Justin Duban, Duban Farms
4:00 pm
Get an overview of the fundamentals of soil testing, including a summary of the chemical, physical, and
biological metrics that are gathered and analyzed on the farm. Learn how these results can impact the
management of your fields.
3:00 pm Can Organics Diversify Your Farm?: Marketing Your Commodities
-
Charles Newell, Newell's Organic Farm (Free to the Public)
3:45 pm
Learn the main components of marketing organic commodities, including maintaining organic integrity,
understanding what you can grow, storage and quality, knowing your markets, transport, contract terms
and conditions, and much more!
3:45 pm Can Organics Diversify Your Farm?: Agronomic Decisions You Need to Make
-
Stuart McMillan, Legend Organic Farms and Steve Snider, Little Red Hen Mill (Free to the Public)
4:30 pm
Hear from two different farmers as they share their own methods and approaches to organic agronomy.
Compare and discuss various agronomic methods and options.
4:30 pm Can Organics Diversify Your Farm?: Our Farm Story
-
Clay and Ashley Armstrong, Armstrong Acres (Free to the Public)
5:00 pm
These producers will share their journey into organic agriculture, why they chose to certify, and how they
have been working with producers in their region to go organic.
4:30 pm Farm to Fork Connections with Eat Alberta
-
6:30 pm Join us for a fun and fast-paced way to meet the farmers who grow your food! You will have the
opportunity to tell us what you want to see in Alberta's organic food scene, learn about production
practices, ask questions face-to-face, and chat with farmers about what they do and why they choose
organics. Hosted in partnership with Eat Alberta.
CONFERENCE SPEAKERS
Cam Beard
Clay & Ashley Armstrong
Carrots by Cam & Poplar Bluff
Armstrong Acres Organics
Clay & Ash Armstrong are first Cam grew up on farms and was
generation farmers operating a already convinced in organic
mixed farm in Northern Alberta. farming when he met Rosemary
After taking a Holistic in 2005. Cam believes that the
Management course their focus science of what makes food taste
has shifted to improving the land great has become a study of soil,
and soil using animals and and that there is always more to
management techniques. learn and ways to improve, and it
keeps the days full.
Leo Bruno
Jenny Berkenbosch & James
Elder, Samson Cree Nation
Vriend
Leo Bruno (Kisikawasis) is an
Sundog Organic Farm
Elder from the Samson Cree
James Vriend and Jenny Nation. Leo is educated in both
Berkenbosch run Sundog Organic the western sciences as well as
Farm together and are driven by traditional teachings. His work
a passion for healthy soil. They has enabled him to travel
have fourteen acres, three throughout Canada assisting both
wonderful boys, 8 hens, 1 dog, Government and Indigenous
and five hundred Rubbermaid Communities in working towards
bins. James and Jenny have been creating a strong, sustainable
farming for ten years. environment for future
generations.
Daryl Chubb
Doug Crabtree & Anna Jones-
Independent Regenerative Farming Crabtree
Consultant
Vilicus Farms
Darryl resides near Irricana,
Vilicus Farms is a first
Alberta on a small farm that
generation, organic, 8,700-acre
includes cattle, hay, and
dryland crop farm in Northern
rotational grazing with goals of
Hill County, Montana growing a
building soil and increasing
diverse array of organic heirloom
carrying capacities. Daryl offers
and specialty grain, pulse,
independent consulting services
oilseed and broadleaf crops
focusing on regenerative
under five and seven-year
agriculture systems in Western
rotations.
Canada.
Scott Dundas
Justin Duban
Manager, Business Financial and
Duban Farms Workforce Unit, Alberta Agriculture
and Forestry
Justin and his wife Katelyn
manage Duban Farms, a third Scott Dundas has been involved
generation, irrigated grain, pulse in the agriculture industry for 41
and oilseed farm located outside years. Scott leads a team of staff
of Lethbridge. His goal is to who work to build the future
create an agricultural entity workforce through the Green
which is sustainable ecologically, Certificate Program, coach clients
socially and financially for the on improving human resource
next generation and the capacity and business financial
community. planning to facilitate access to
capital.
CONFERENCE SPEAKERS
Bernie Ehnes
Back 40 Organics
Sally Fallon
Bernie has been farming
Author
organically for 27 years, raising
mostly fall rye, spring wheat, Sally Fallon Morell is the author
durum, peas and red fife wheat. of the best-selling cookbook
He has most recently completed Nourishing Traditions and
the organic inspector training founding president of The
course and has been hired to do Weston A. Price Foundation.
organic inspections for Global
Organic Alliance.
Monika Gorzelak Neil Harris
Research Scientist, Agriculture and Health Promotion Facilitator,
Agri-Food Canada Alberta Health
Monika is a Research Scientist Neil is the coordinator of the
specializing in Soil Fertility. She “Tough Enough to Talk About It”
is a soil microbial ecologist Program for industry, trades and
developing a program aimed at agriculture in East Central
understanding the role of Alberta. He is also an active
microbes in soil, manipulating member of the Lakeland Regional
microbes to support soil fertility, Safety Committee. Neil is
and integrating functions of passionate about promoting
fungal and bacterial communities mental health on the farm and
into healthy agroecosystems. supporting workplace wellness.
Grant Lastiwka
Mike Kozlowski
Forage Extension Specialist, Alberta
Steel Pony Farm
Agriculture and Forestry
Mike Kozlowski has been market
Grant works with forage
gardening and running a CSA in
stakeholders in various extension
Central Alberta since 2011. He
capacities. These efforts are
focuses on growing high quality
almost always related to realizing
crops through restorative land
the value of forages as a crop.
management practices. He is
His forage management thought
really excited about the potential
is from the plant, to the soil, to
of his farm team to do great
the livestock, to the people, and
things together.
to the consumer.
Andrew Mans Stuart McMillan
Mans Organics Legend Organic Farms
Andrew grows field and Stuart is the farm manager of
greenhouse vegetables, cover Legend Organic Farms, owned by
crops and cereals near Coaldale, Arran Stephens, founder of
Alberta. His passion lies in Nature’s Path Foods. The farm is
regenerative agriculture with the committed to using innovative
intent of having the farm produce and regenerative methods to
healthy food while improving the meet sustainability and
soil and the farms ecosystem. He production goals. Stuart's past
feels that the regenerative involvement in the organic sector
approach to farming is has included inspection,
sustainable, profitable and certification, consulting, analysis
enjoyable. and research.
CONFERENCE SPEAKERS
Ward Middleton John Mills
Midmore Farms Eagle Creek Farms
Ward and Jo-Anne Middleton John has been working alongside
manage an 800-acre farm near his father for the past 12 years.
Morinville, AB; certified organic In that time Eagle Creek Farms
since 1998. Agronomic practices includes a Sunflower Maze, Upick,
to produce grain and special CSA and a hay and grain
crops include intercropping and operation. A mix of cross
the integration of livestock promotion, diversity and niche
through custom grazing and crops are used to create
winter feeding to enhance soil excitement around local food and
health. attract people to the farm.
Trina Moyles
Charles Newell
Author
Newell’s Organic Farm
Trina is an award-winning
As Organic Alberta's President,
freelance writer, journalist, and
Charles is a rural Albertan with
author with a passion for telling
proven leadership skills and
stories about social justice and
firsthand knowledge of issues
environmental issues. With an
related to energy, municipal
academic background in Cultural
development and agriculture.
Anthropology and International
Charles is a lifelong farmer and
Development, she focuses much
an experienced Board member in
of her writing on food security,
the energy industry, serving on a
sustainable agriculture, and
rural electrification association.
gender equality.
Steven Snider Ben Stuart
Little Red Hen Mill Union Forage
Steven is 33 years certified Ben is a regenerative farmer
organic on 1900 acres of mixed based in Hardisty, AB, running a
crop, hay and pasture. Steven large mixed cattle and cropping
has experience with operation. Livestock are used to
intercropping, green manure, extend crop rotations through
poultry manure, mow till, Perennials and cover crops and
plowing, rod weeding, post add diversity, adding a revenue
emergent harrowing, delayed stream and most importantly
seeding and rotary hoe. On farm building soil with the long-term
drying, cleaning and bagging goal of stronger organic matter
round out the operation. and carbon sequestration.
Joe Wecker Rosemary Wotske
Wecker Farms Poplar Bluff Organics
Joe grew up on an organic farm in 32 years ago, and after
southern Germany. Now farming completing a couple of science
11,000 acres with his family in degrees, Rosemary purchased
Southeast Saskatchewan, he is land and has been busy on a
using a Nutritional Farming learning curve ever since. She
system. This system is a holistic has spent years observing how
approach of balancing soil soil, climate and plant genetics
nutrients and biology while are an interplay – how the terroir
focusing on plant health and of vegetables can make eating
beneficial insects to raise a crop bland or dull, or sweet and
that is nutrient dense. interesting.You can also read
